Protected 9th Street bike lane completed

WASHINGTON — DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by several officials from the District’s Department of Transportation (DDOT), and other federal partners, Monday to announce the completion of the 9th Street NW two-way protected bike lane. 

According to a release from Mayor's office, the protected bike lane, which is a separated route from the U Street corridor to Pennsylvania Avenue NW, spans 1.5 miles.

Officials say the protected lane provides more safety to cyclists by including protected left turns and pedestrian crossing islands. The mayor's office claims the lane will reduce vehicle speeds, increase pedestrian safety, and reduce crashes for all modes of transportation. 

With the completion of this new lane, D.C. now has 108 miles of bike lanes and more than 30 miles of them are protected. 

Additionally, 700 more e-bikes will be added to the Capital Bikeshare program.

“With our 9th Street bike lane and the addition of 700 e-bikes, we are accomplishing two goals: making our streets safer and better connected and making it easier for people to come downtown,” said Mayor Bowser. “We’re grateful for the community members who stuck with us on this project and got us to where we are today – a more connected DC and a DC that is better positioned for the future of transportation.”

The new e-bikes will bring D.C.'s fleet to around 1,000 e-bikes. DDOT says it plans to continue increasing the number of e-bikes in DC to 2,500 over the coming years.  

“Our newest e-bike has cutting-edge features that riders love, making Capital Bikeshare better than ever,” said General Manager of Capital Bikeshare at Lyft Dominick Tribone. “We’re making it easier than ever for people to reach jobs, family, and friends with sustainable, climate-friendly transportation that gets cars off our roads. I want to thank Mayor Bowser and DDOT for their continued investment and partnership in Capital Bikeshare—without them, it wouldn’t be the tremendous success it is today.”

To learn more about the 9th Street NW protected bike lane, click here

Thousands of drivers have signed a petition against these bike lanes. But bike safety activists ARGUE – FORGET THE INCONVENIENCE - they can save lives.